1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a guard for a wheel rim, and in particular to a wheel rim guard adjustable to fit various sized wheel rims.
2. Background & Description of the Related Art
The past several decades have experienced a trend by car owners to enhance the appearance of their vehicles by improving the appearance of the tires and wheels. Accordingly, the marketplace has experienced an increased demand for lightweight composite alloy wheels (typically aluminum and magnesium composites) and chrome-plated wheels as an alternative to conventional steel wheels. In response to this increased demand, a purchaser may now optionally purchase alternatives to steel wheels through several venues including car dealerships for factory installed wheels on new cars or aftermarket wheel retailers for replacement wheels. However, alloy and chrome plated wheels are susceptible to corrosion, staining and scratching and are vulnerable to damage caused by acid rain, brake dust, road salts and tar. As a result, these wheels must be cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. Thus, special chemicals and cleaning agents have been developed for specific types of wheels. However, different types of cleaning materials are used for the tires and tire sidewalls—these cleaning agents, unfortunately, are also a source for potential damage to the wheel rims.
Tire cleaners are commonly formulated specifically to provide bright and clean sidewalls and a glossy appearance of the tire rubber. These cleaners are often highly acidic which, if inadvertently applied to the metal wheel surface, may cause corrosion. In addition, many tire cleaning and maintenance products contain additives such as abrasives, silicone and bleach which have the ability to corrode, stain or scratch the surface of chrome or clear coated or polished aluminum wheels.
Tire cleaning and maintenance products are also potentially harmful to the internal portions of the wheel and brake assembly. Often, alloy and chrome wheels are designed with open spaces between the wheel rim and hub thus exposing the interior of the wheel assembly. Exposing the brake pads and rotors to the acidic cleaning products and/or silicon and other additives may damage the internal components or compromise their operation.
The close proximity of the tire to the wheel greatly increases the chances of exposing the wheel to the harmful tire cleaning and maintenance products. Because of the high risk to the wheel, many tire maintenance product manufacturers have placed labels on their products to instruct users to avoid contact with the wheel rim surface and internals. This, however, is particularly challenging because tire cleaning and maintenance products are often applied with a mist or spray bottle.
Additionally, it is also a problem that wheel cleaners contact the tire surfaces. This causes an inconvenience for a person cleaning the tires and wheels because the wheel cleaner may make the tire more difficult to clean.
Rim covers are known in the prior art to protect the vehicle wheel from harmful tire cleaning products. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,106 to Hermansen teaches a size adjustable wheel rim mask. The wheel rim mask is a flat, circular disc with a radial gap such that the mask is configurable to and lockable in a plurality of cone-shaped configurations corresponding in size to the wheel rim to be protected. A locking mechanism is provided to lock the mask into a desired configuration. Hermansen discloses that the locking mechanism may be male and female snaps, a tab and recess system, a hook and loop system, adhesive tape, a belt and buckle system, or a ratchet band and clasp system. To use the rim mask, a user must first adjust the mask into the desired position and then place the mask on the rim to be protected. Other systems are known that allow a user to adjust the size of the wheel cover to the size of the wheel to be protected.
The size of wheels or rims may vary greatly and typically varies with the size of the car. Smaller cars typically have rims that are 13 inches in diameter. Larger vehicles may have rims that are up to 26 inches in diameter and beyond. Rear wheel drive vehicles typically need larger diameter rims than front wheel drive vehicles. Many households have multiple cars each having different wheel rim sizes. With the wheel rim covers of the prior art, a user desiring to clean and maintain the tires on multiple cars is required to frequently reconfigure and lock the prior art adjustable wheel rim cover according to the size of each differently sized wheel rim. In addition, prior art wheel rim covers typically lock in one of several selected sizes designed to cover standard sized wheel rims, such as 13 inches or 26 inches as discussed above. However, the actual outer diameter of a wheel rim of a specified size can vary significantly depending on make or manufacturer. Therefore, the preset sizes may not fully cover the wheel rim that is supposed to be of the corresponding size.
Another problem with the wheel rim covers of the prior art is that they do not allow a user open access to the wheel rim.
With the purpose of improving over the shortcomings of the prior art, a wheel rim guard is needed that allows a user to easily cover a wheel rim without needing to adjust and lock the wheel rim cover for every differently sized wheel rim.